South Cornwall · TR11 · Cornwall Council Central
One studio for new build in Mawnan
A bespoke new build is the longest project we do, and the most rewarding. From plot appraisal through planning, building regulations and construction, you work with one team from the first sketch to the handover walk-round. Working in Mawnan means starting from the TR11 context — Mawnan is a rural parish in the TR11 area, with farmsteads, lanes and scattered homes defining its built character, with a building stock that leans toward converted barns and smallholdings.
Mawnan sits in South Cornwall — just off the A39; covering TR11 from Mawnan Smith, Durgan, Truro outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓Cornwall Council Central sub-area regulars
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
Free · No obligation
Free Mawnan feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Mawnan?
Both routes are open on a TR11 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Mawnan clients take the drawings, tender them locally, then come back to us for the build if the numbers do not stack up.
- Route one: feasibility, planning and a tender-ready technical pack
- Route two: the same pack, then the build under one contract
- Either way the survey and feasibility work is identical, so the decision can wait
- Fees quoted per stage against the TR11 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Scope options for Mawnan clients
These stages can be bought separately. Most TR11 projects use three of them.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Local watch-list
Mawnan-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across South Cornwall
Watch #2
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Mawnan
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Applications for Mawnan are handled through Cornwall Council, with Truro the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a new build enquiry does not get passed between firms.
Planning rules change and every site is different. For the final position on your address, check with Cornwall Council as the local planning authority or the Planning Portal.
What we focus on
New Builds considerations specific to Mawnan.
01
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
02
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
03
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
04
Self-build CIL exemption requires the right documentation in the right order; missing a step costs five-figure sums.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Mawnan project is worth pursuing?
Send a few details — we'll come back within 1 working day with a plain-English view on planning risk, likely cost band and whether it's a project we'd take on.
Free · No obligation
Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Mawnan and the TR11 area.
Local context
Why Mawnan is its own job.
Two things shape a Mawnan application: parish character and policy. On policy — open-countryside policy, access lanes, drainage and agricultural building history all need to be addressed before drawings go too far. For new build specifically, the surrounding landscape falls inside the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so massing, height and landscape impact carry extra weight in any planning decision; Cornwall Council's Local Plan applies tighter tests to isolated rural dwellings here, so design rationale and policy fit need to be set out clearly from the outset. Get that local reading right and the rest of the Mawnan programme tends to run on time. On converted barns in particular — the kind you'll also find toward St Austell — the new build brief always has to read the existing fabric first.
Planning note
Cornwall's planning policy on new dwellings is among the most restrictive in England outside Greater London. The first conversation should be a planning conversation, not a design one.
Our process
How a Mawnan new build project runs.
Step 1
Plot review
Site visit, planning history check, designation review and an honest feasibility verdict.
Step 2
Concept design
Sketches that test the plot in massing, orientation and approach before any drawings are committed.
Step 3
Planning
Pre-app, full planning, consultee management and condition discharge.
Step 4
Technical design and build prep
Building regs, structural design, services strategy and contractor procurement.
Step 5
Construction and handover
Build delivered under contract administration with regular client reviews.
Most bespoke new builds run eighteen to thirty months from instruction to keys, depending on site, planning route and build complexity.
FAQs
Mawnan New Builds — local questions answered.
- What about utilities, drainage and access?
- All designed and applied for as part of the package — water, electric, off-mains drainage where mains isn't viable, and highways access agreement with Cornwall Council where required. In Mawnan specifically, we'd start by checking AONB landscape sensitivity before committing to a direction.
- What's a replacement dwelling and is mine eligible?
- If a habitable dwelling exists on the plot, you can often replace it — within volumetric and design constraints set by Cornwall's Local Plan. Derelict structures sometimes qualify, sometimes don't, depending on lawful use history.
- How long does the whole project take?
- Allow six to twelve months for design and approvals, then ten to fourteen months on site for a typical four-bedroom new build. Complex sites or long planning routes extend that.
- Can you handle a self-build for me?
- Yes — from feasibility to handover. Many of our clients start as 'self-builders' on paper, then hand the actual build to us once they realise how much project management it takes.
- How much does a new build cost?
- Realistic budgets in Cornwall start around £2,800 per square metre for a good-quality build and rise quickly with bespoke joinery, large glazing, complex sites and high-spec finishes. We work to your number, not against it.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Mawnan be done while we stay put?
- Usually yes for single-storey and rear work, with a temporary kitchen or bathroom arrangement agreed before the start. Whole-house remodels and roof work in Mawnan are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
Mawnan is part of Mawnan Smith
Mawnan sits inside the Mawnan Smith catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Mawnan Smith →Keep reading
Where to go next from Mawnan
Mawnan is covered from our Mawnan Smith run. Being a smaller place, the local detail matters more than the headline policy: lane access, neighbour proximity and what the immediate street already looks like.
Other services in Mawnan
Nearby places we cover
Every Mawnan new build we work on is treated as a TR11 job in its own right — local fabric, local policy, local builders. converted barns in particular need a tailored structural answer.
Get a feasibility view on your Mawnan home Bring the deeds, we will bring the survey kit for the new build.
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